Conservation through social activities

Conservation through social activities

Photography by Ed Rode

Wilderness and Wildlife
Bridgestone Americas realizes the need to preserve nature for future generations to enjoy. The company has established several protected areas where nature and wildlife native to that region will be conserved.

The largest of these tracts is the Bridgestone Firestone Centennial Wilderness, a 10,000-acre forest area on eastern Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau that was donated to the State of Tennessee in 1998 and 2000. Also known as Scott’s Gulf, this spectacular area provides the public with a variety of outdoor activities, including hiking, fishing, and canoeing.

Wild turkeys, river otters, and Ohio muskellunge, all once native to the Caney Fork River Gorge, have been successfully reintroduced by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). We are also working on the American Chestnut Tree Restoration Project in the Centennial Wilderness areas.

In addition to the Centennial Wilderness, Bridgestone has established five other wildlife habitat areas on our land in Tennessee, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Maryland, and Ohio. Plans for additional sites in South Carolina, Texas, and Brazil are underway. At each of these reserves, groups of volunteer employees team up with community groups to enhance the quality of the habitats for wildlife by removing invasive plant species and replanting with native species, raising food crops for migratory birds, and providing nesting boxes for birds.

And when there are opportunities to participate in environmental outreach, Bridgestone Americas’ teammates are the first to participate.

In 2007, Bridgestone Americas’ Wilson, N. C. plant introduced a 250-acre Freedom Wildlife Habitat and Refuge to the community. The core of this event included the Merit Badge University for local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.  With the natural habitat area providing resources for adult supporters, Bridgestone Americas teammates and other volunteers teach the scouts the knowledge and skills they needed to earn their merit badges.

A 25-member volunteer team comprised of teammates, retirees, and outside groups meets weekly to plan the habitat’s future. The plan aims to increase biodiversity by improving and linking adjoining habitats to provide a more stable and diverse ecosystem, while also inviting community involvement.

In 2008, the Bridgestone Corporate Environmental group, the Wildlife Habitat Council Corporate Lands for Learning program, the Warren County (Tenn.) School System, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and area Boy Scouts partnered to turn the wildlife habitat at the Warren County plant into the Bridgestone Environmental Education Classroom and Habitat (BEECH).

The BEECH incorporates interdisciplinary studies with environmental education. Students learn outdoors through field studies, as well as in a hands-on classroom. Along the nature trail, students learn all about wildlife life cycles. In the classroom, students learn first-hand about composting and planting seeds, and enjoy animal visitors like Steve the Snake.

As a result of the program, and in addition to the incredible educational benefits provided by the BEECH, Bridgestone has also assisted a local school in starting a recycling program, which was successful enough to force the local recycling center to add and enlarge its containers and expand materials collected for recycling. The school now has 60 students in their Green Club.

Conservation through social activities

Photography by Ed Rode

Environment and Community
Business units throughout Bridgestone Americas have invested time and effort to bring environmental education to their communities.

In order to help educate children of all ages about the natural world, the Diversified Products division sponsored the Indianapolis Zoo’s shark exhibit. The exhibit highlighted the diversity of nature and also served as a great example of the business’ support for the environment.

Bridgestone Canada led the sponsorship of a Learning Grounds program for a local elementary school. The school uses the grounds as an area for learning about nature, environment, indigenous plants as well as it provides shade for the children to play in. The Learning Grounds consists of five gardens:  butterfly garden, bird sanctuary, vegetable garden, canoe forest, and sugar bush (sugar maple trees).

Teammates in the Latin American division support environmental efforts that have direct effect on people in their towns and cities. Since 2005, teammates at Bridgestone Venezuela celebrate the World Day of the Beaches by cleaning and waste collection in the lagoon The Bocaina in Patanemo´s Bay. Bridgestone Brazil holds a fair focusing on specific issue related to the environment and Bridgestone Brasil performance. The employees’ families are also involved in children’s art competitions, which are focused on environmental topics.